Pest Control Marketing – top 5 tips

If you are responsible for pest control marketing then I hope you will find these 5 top tips valuable, so please read on.

The first step to winning more pest control clients is to think like a potential client who has a pest infestation. Put yourself in their shoes.

What thought processes will they go through? Which websites do they visit when they have a pest problem? How can you engineer so they “see you” online when they are searching for a solution?

TOP TIP 1

Initially, potential customers will be searching online for information. Maybe they are looking for a DIY solution. This is your ideal opportunity to become their trusted advisor. Have information on your website to educate them on the problem they are experiencing and even give them help on the solution, it may seem counter-intuitive to give free advice but this really does build you as the trusted advisor and even though some people will solve the problem themselves there will be others who simply want to call in an expert when they do not have the time or the issue is not a simple DIY solution. So this can be blog posts, PDF guides or videos. Here is a book I would recommend on how to create content that attracts customers to you. They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan.  And this becomes even more powerful when it can be linked to a marketing automation system, see point 5 below.

TOP TIP 2

Referrals. Even in this online world, word of mouth advertising is still the best. How can you encourage previous pest control clients to talk about your service? Can you offer them an incentive if one of their friends buys your service? Can you reach out to all your previous customers and remind them about your service, this is really easy if you have a marketing system in place, see Top Tip 5 and an efficient Service Delivery System, see Top Tip 6.

TOP TIP 3

Be visible online. These days the first port of call, when someone has a problem to fix, will be the internet and primarily using Google. It is imperative that your pest control business is visible on Google.

So do a check – how do you appear on Google right now in your local area. Because most of the time people with a problem with search out a local pest control service first.

Step 1 – Go to Google, enter the name of your local area followed by the word “pest control”, “vermin control” into the Google search bar.

Example: London pest control, London vermin control

Step 2 – Make a note of the websites that come up on Page 1. Study them and get inspiration for your own ideas. Is your pest control business on the list? If not…

TOP TIP 4

You need to get your website listed.

Google Adwords are the ads down the left-hand side of the search results page. Advertising is a quick win. But can be expensive and you need to know what you are doing. I would recommend hiring a Google Adwords Expert as it can be complex to set up Adwords and expensive if you get it wrong. (I would definitely recommend using Google Remarketing, this enables you to display ads to your website visitors AFTER they leave your site – the ads follow them all over the internet. These work great and costs next to nothing).

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This is the process to optimise your website so that Google lists it in the rankings. You need to be on page 1 of Google. The good news is that this is free, the bad news is that it can take many months of work to achieve a result. But once you do you will reap the rewards for a long time. SEO is a huge subject so you can either hire an expert or if you have the time and inclination you can teach yourself, check out the book I mention in TOP TIP 1.

TOP TIP 5

Have a pest control marketing and sales follow up system.

This is what the majority of pest control businesses do not have or understand. In points 1 to 3 above we are looking at ways to generate interest in our service, which is essential. But what you have to realise is that of those who visit your website only one or two in every 100 are ready to buy today. So if they do not buy today then that means 98% leave your website and the chances are they will never come back. That 98% is where the gold is for your business. So you have a system in place that enables you to consistently follow up with EVERYONE who expresses an interest in pest control services. This can be really simple – paper-based or Excel, it is possible but it is a definite chore that requires dedication and time to manage. And that leads me nicely on to what I do. I specialise in helping clients set up a marketing automation system called Keap / Infusionsoft and this is the leading marketing automation system for small businesses.

TOP TIP 6

Service Delivery Systemisation

OK, so you have been busy marketing and you now have enquiries and orders. But the job is still not finished. Now we have to ensure we look and act professional and do a top-notch job so that we retain those hard-won clients. How do you manage you and your team’s on-site jobs currently? As the business grows you will need a system to make this as professional as possible so that clients not only return to us later on, but they refer us to their friends and business contacts. One very impressive service I have recommended to service-based clients for the past 4 years is ServiceM8, I have been so impressed with ServiceM8 than in the summer of 2019 I became a ServiceM8 Certified Partner.

If you are interested to learn more about how to build your own pest control marketing and sales system then please schedule a free 1-hour Discovery call.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash